Directed By: Berndt Mader, Ben Steinbauer
Starring: Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher, with Howie Mandel, David Cross, Reggie Watts, Bobcat Goldthwait, Albertina Rizzo, and The Yes Men
Plot Summary: When childhood friends Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett start booking their gag strongman routine on unsuspecting morning news shows, their pranks end up going viral, landing them in federal court with a vengeful media conglomerate.
Going all the way back to David and Goliath, who doesn’t love a good underdog story? It fills us with hope that maybe the little guy doesn’t always lose in the end. Chop & Steele tells the strange and true journey of two lifelong friends who find themselves in legal trouble after a harmless prank. This bizarre odyssey would see the duo tested to their limits, facing down uncertain times during the pandemic, and generally at a crossroads in their lives. Like any good story it ends with a urine coated floor on national television.
The best documentaries should do two things: tell a riveting story and make you feel something by the finale. Thankfully, you would be hard-pressed to not leave this film with a big goofy grin, along with a real sense that you went on an amazing ride with two unlikely heroes. Told through home movies and interviews, we get a crystal-clear picture of two friends that love delightfully dancing over the line of good taste. From making crank calls to forming a band called The Beatles, you get a sense of who these guys were, long before the infamous stunt that landed them in hot water.
Outside of the hijinks, the film highlights the amazing work they’ve done forming the Found Footage Festival. Scouring every thrift store around the country, the guys have amassed a vast library of the most bizarre VHS tapes known to human kind. Not only are these tapes rescued and curated but they are shown to an audience. Of course, then comes the viral morning show pranks which land the boys in trouble. Some of the funniest moments is footage from the depositions, which are just as absurd as the lawsuit itself. Yet, like any good underdog story, the friends thankfully don’t get chewed up by the suits with seemingly all the money and power.
Outside of the personal interviews, Chop & Steele features a nice array of insights from comedy legends such as David Cross and Bobcat Goldthwait. Goldthwait in particular was interesting as he himself had a Jay Leno bit that went too far. For context, in May of 1994 the quirky comedian set fire to a chair whilst on the famous late-night show. He plead no contest and was ordered to pay over three thousand dollars. Almost seven hundred of that was for the chair itself. This helps bring home the fact that the stakes of art and expression can be high, and where the lines are between free speech and expression. But, of course, the centerpiece of the film is Nick and Joe who are candid and engaging as hell. You couldn’t ask for a more engaging and funny pair, which is why this entire documentary works so well. Truly, you can see the bond that unites these friends together.
Outside of being captivating, there is a lot of skill and thought put into this film. Berndt Mader and Ben Steinbauer do an excellent job at balancing and humor and the heart. Wisely, this never tips its hat into overly sappy or sentimental. It may sound corny, but Chop & Steele is just a feel good, even inspiring watch. In a world that feels increasingly unfair to regular people, it’s nice to see the meek inherit for once. The film at face value is funny yes, but on a deeper level it reminds us to not take everything quite so seriously, and just let everything go. Even if that means your bladder.
Chop & Steele is currently available On Demand courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
Wisely, this never tips its hat into overly sappy or sentimental. It may sound corny, but Chop & Steele is just a feel good, even inspiring watch.
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GVN Rating 10
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.